


a brave face

by jangmun



Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Fluff, Gen, fancy ritual painting, fantasy!au, if you look hard enough dongpyo has a crush on mini, warrior!minhee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-06-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24861487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jangmun/pseuds/jangmun
Summary: dongpyo paints the future on minhee's face.
Relationships: Kang Minhee & Son Dongpyo
Kudos: 5
Collections: Challenge #2 — Rainbow





	a brave face

Dongpyo sits amongst the colorful array of paints, dollops poured into small white porcelain bowls, each accompanied by their own paintbrush. In any normal circumstance he’d have maybe only one or two colors, but today is a special day, and every color under the sun’s rainbow must be used.

Minhee is sitting across from Dongpyo, in the same cross-legged and bowed back posture, fingers tapping the ground as he waits and waits. He’s waiting for Dongpyo to begin. He’s waiting for Dongpyo to paint the colors on his face, in ceremonial swirls and patterns, waiting for the inevitable tickling feeling as the paint strokes glide across his face.

It is an important day. One with which Dongpyo could only dream of having for himself, a ritual ceremony marking the day his training is complete, that he can now join his other friends in the ranks.

For the specific ceremony, it shows respect to the souls of the warriors before Minhee for all of the colors to be used. The pattern that Dongpyo has to draw is a ritual pattern, a mixture of very precisely placed dots and swirls, and the colors have to be in a certain order too. Minhee has seen the pattern done by Dongpyo once before, for a friend of theirs, who didn’t see the same beauty in it as they did.

Dongpyo spent the better half of his childhood collecting his paints and designs, practicing on his parents and himself until he gets the hang of them all. He might not be very useful to his community, but a ritual painter is a crucial part to their culture, and Dongpyo is honored to be the youngest ritual painter for the community. It helps him to find acceptance, too.

Dongpyo picks up one of the brushes tentatively, dipping it into the purple, and with a quick order for the other to close his eyes, he begins painting. First with the streaks following the lines of his eyebrows and down the bridge of his nose, and finally ending on Minhee’s jawline. Then comes blue, which follows the purple in lighter, less intense strokes, and a few embellishes just below the eyes.

Minhee’s hand reaches out to touch Dongpyo’s exposed calf, resting there. “Sorry, I’m just a little nervous.” Minhee’s words threaten to wobble the not yet dry paint on his face. Dongpyo doesn’t brush him away however, moving on to the green, where he draws large swirls on his cheekbones, smiling when Minhee giggles at the feeling. Yellow is a rather simple color, just a few dotted patterns along the forehead, and temples, two streaks following his jawline. Orange and red finish off the look, decorating the rest of his face with pretty floral patterns, and the look is finally complete.

Dongpyo smiles softly, sitting back on the palms of his hands to admire his work, which complements Minhee’s face wonderfully. “How do I look?”

“Like a real warrior.” Dongpyo nods and begins picking up his paints, setting them on a table behind them.

Minhee follows, grabbing Dongpyo’s hand, stopping him from walking any further. “Dongpyo.”

“What is it?”

“Be at my ceremony tonight.”

Dongpyo shakes his head, pulling Minhee’s hand away. He gives the same excuse he’d been giving him for years now, that he won’t attend the ceremony because he is not meant to. Minhee continued to try over the years, persisting even in front of Dongpyo’s adoptive parents, much to his embarrassment. He didn’t give in, and he stood firm to that for the years to follow the beginning of their friendship. Though his grasp on his excuse and adamancy to not attend is slipping, and each time Minhee has asked in the days before Dongpyo has almost said yes. He already agreed to give him the ceremonial paints, he cannot allow himself to be swayed into coming to the ceremony itself. It’s unwise to show favoritism, and he would much prefer to skip seeing his friend in pain.

Still, as the sun reaches the high point of the day, Dongpyo hides himself in the crowd of people watching the ceremony. Minhee stands in the middle with an elder, ready to swear to the final code, ready to rise into the ranks. The ceremony is dangerous, taxing to the body. The energy of the previous warriors will flow through Minhee in a painful ritual, and if he makes it, he’ll be ranked and begin the next phase of his training.

Dongpyo, while wishful that one day he’d have his own ranking ceremony, would not wish for the one given to new warriors. As the time draws nearer, Minhee shows nothing but a brave face, determined and ready to handle what is to come next. Dongpyo on the other hand is too scared to watch, covering his face as the elder recites the ritual words.

The rainbow on Minhee’s face is still pretty as ever, even when Dongpyo spares a glance at his friend and watches his face twist and writhe with the pain in his veins. Still he does not scream or bow to it, standing firm on his two feet.

Dongpyo waits and waits, hoping that it will end soon, that he can comfort Minhee and congratulate him. The ceremony drags on, his pain drags on, until there is complete silence. Minhee falls to his knees, barely holding himself up, but he’s made it. Dongpyo almost cheers for him, except that he remembers that he cannot do that so publicly.  


But the crowd dissipates with the final moments of the sunlight, and eventually Minhee is alone, Dongpyo watching him. And when Minhee finally opens his eyes and looks up at him, he smiles. “I did it, Dongpyo.”

The paints are still on his face, though more vibrant now— or maybe Dongpyo’s eyes are messing with him— but either way Minhee still looks like the Minhee from before. Dongpyo gives him a hug, holding back his own overflow of emotions. “You did it.”


End file.
